The Best Movies About Gambling Activities
Even if you have never tried betting or going to a casino, you have probably seen a range of movies touching upon this subject. While some of them depict the thrilling life on the edge of hard-core gamblers, others revolve around the luck factor and serendipity. There are plenty of choices when selecting which gambling movie you should watch next. Take a look at the list below and find inspiration for titles that could make it to your personal watchlist.
The Gambler (1974)
This classic tells the story of a university professor who is a gambling addict. The professor, played by James Caan, goes through all the possible situations typical to the destructive behavior of gambling addicts. As the movie advances, the audience witnesses the demise of the character’s life as he slowly falls deeper into the claws of his addiction. His mental state starts to get compromised, he starts borrowing and going into a bigger debt, and the adrenaline craving is never satisfied. The movie builds up as the character tries to find even a bigger thrill – up to a point where it even becomes life-threatening for him. In essence, this movie is a cautionary tale, bearing just some of the consequences of not gambling responsibly.
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
This chronicle is a tense, action-packed drama that revolves around a long game of poker between a young potential and an experienced casino player. The movie was released in 1965, long before the best online casino welcome bonus and online gambling even existed. Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson start a marathon game of poker where each of them shows their talent and skills. Naturally, in this classic, the story gets interesting as the two players are equally good. Those who have seen the Cincinnati Kid probably remember the engrossing beginning and the glamourous female actresses. As some improbable situations begin to happen, the poker hands dealt might look bizarre to some experienced poker players – but the unpredictability of this game and the movie ending helped make this title a classic – so it is definitely worth watching.
The Hustler (1961)
The Hustler is a movie that has been chosen for preservation by the National Film Registry. In other words, this movie is thought to have a great historical, cultural or aesthetic value. This black and white classic tells the story of a small-time pool hustler (Paul Newman) who, together with his partner, tries to earn money. They do it by traveling and gambling, naturally. The plot twist begins when the main character challenges the legendary player called Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) The tone of the movie is rather cold and cynical from the beginning till the end — so if you are looking for a title that will humor you, you should go for Ocean’s Eleven instead. Still, it is one of the top gambling movies ever made and helped make Newman a great star.
Molly’s Game (2017)
Even though this movie was released only a few years ago, it is one of the must-watch gambling films. Moreover, this title was based on the real-life gambling events of Molly Bloom. The movie was directed by the renowned screenplay writer Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin was mostly known for TV‘s The West Wing and such movies as Moneyball and A Few Good Men. This movie was based on the memoir written by Bloom, an Olympic skier whose unfortunate skiing accident led her to open an underground poker club that catered to Hollywood royalty, sports stars and business titans, before being raided by the FBI. This adrenaline-packed movie leads you through the dangerous life of Molly on her way to success. What makes this movie so special is the female lead character succeeding in a male-dominated gambling business. Some of the famous actors in this movie are Jessica Chastain (Molly), Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong and Chris O’Dowd.
As the story moves along, you‘ll want to know which famous people were on Molly’s list of high stake rollers. Still, even though the majority of the movie flows in an easy-to-watch way, you should be ready for some emotional as well as violent scenes. Anyway, if you feel like watching Molly go from an Olympic skier to being charged with running a high-stakes poker game, this movie should be on your watchlist.
Author’s Bio
Mila Roy is a Content Strategist at the Gamblizard website, and she also loves to create content herself. She loves writing about the gambling industry, which is why most of her blogs revolve around casino games and betting. Mila enjoys reading books in her leisure time when she is not blogging or spending time with her family.
